Chapter 9: Nurturing
Splinter smiled as he gazed upon his sleeping son. The danger had passed for him, yet Splinter felt it was essential for someone to keep watch over him just in case anything was to go wrong. He had almost lost his child to the enemy, and that was not something he could forgive. He remembered the agonizing moments as he watched his son struggle to fight for consciousness and how they had all tried to help him by telling him stories of his bravery. It had worked, and Splinter was thankful for that.
Leonardo was truly a fighter in so many ways, but Splinter knew that his spirit was still broken by his defeat. He would need the support of his family to fully heal from his wounds. The Rat carefully stroked his son's head when he heard him moan a little. It was a gesture of comfort and a gesture of love. Splinter had often taken care of them as babies, but he never thought that any of them would sustain wounds like this.
Splinter heard a noise and leapt up, walking stick held in front of him. His instinct to protect Leonardo was still there and would always be there.
"Sensei, can I come in?"
Splinter sighed in relief. "Yes, Raphael," he replied. "You should be asleep."
"I know, but I couldn't," Raph answered. "I wanted to check on Leo."
"He is resting, my son," Splinter responded. "He will be fine for now. I just hope that in the morning Donatello can assess his wounds and see if he needs more care."
"Donnie will do it," Raph reassured his father. "He's always on top of these things. Look, I came in here because I wanted to take over for you. You need to sleep, Master."
"I suppose you are right," Splinter agreed "It is just hard for me to leave him after I so nearly lost him." Tears filled his eyes at the prospect of what could have been.
Raph didn't hesitate and pulled his father into an embrace. "I know how you feel, Dad," he said. "I'm scared, too. But Leo's gonna pull through this. He's tough. He'll make it."
Splinter smiled at his son's words. Yes, Raphael and Leonardo often fought, but deep down, Raphael really cared for Leonardo and would do anything to protect him. "You are right, Raphael," he said. "You may stay with him. Please do not hesitate to wake me or Donatello if anything goes wrong."
Raph's eyes filled with alarm. "Do you think that could happen?" he asked fearfully.
"I am not sure," Splinter replied. "However, I have faith that Leonardo will be fine. Just keep watch over him."
"Okay, Sensei, I will," Raph promised. "And if anythin' goes wrong, I'll let you guys know."
"Thank you," Splinter said. He gave Leo a kiss on the forehead and embraced Raph and did the same to him. Then he went to the room Casey had made up for him on the bottom floor.
Yes, it was hard to leave his son, but he knew that Leonardo would be fine now. He had his whole family to care for and nurture him, and that was the best thing he could have. With that last thought in mind, Splinter prayed to Yoshi to watch over his son and fell asleep.
A/N: Wow. I got to 559 on this one. I really enjoyed writing this one and had a lot of fun with it. I really wanted to write about Leo's recovery after the attack and thought that this prompt was fitting for it. Feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.